CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The brackets for the 2025 NCAA Tournament were revealed on Sunday, and Illinois got a favorable draw that should bring out Illini fans at a nearby destination.
The Fighting Illinois secured the 6-seed in the Midwest region will take on the winner of the first four match-up between No. 11 seeds Texas and Xavier.
Game time is set for 8:45 p.m. CT and will be televised on CBS.
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The Illini earned a bid to the NCAA Tournmanet for the fifth consecutive year, one of only 13 teams in the nation and three in the Big Ten to achieve that feat. Illinois' streak would be at six years, but the 2020 Tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
Illinois is making its 35th overall NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, owning an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 45-35. It is one of eight Big Ten teams to get a bid to the 2025 tournament.
"Excited to be in Big Ten country in Milwaukee," Illini coach Brad Underwood said. "It's a place that's very close to us. It's an exciting opportunity in that region. We're just looking for another opportunity to put our best foot forward with this group".
The Illini finished the regular season with a 21-12 record overall and 12-8 in the Big Ten, good for seventh place in the conference. It is 17th in the NET, the NCAA's metric for seeding teams.
It was an roller coaster season. The Illini won their last three regular season games and knocked off Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, but lost to Maryland 88-65 in the tournament quarterfinals on Friday.
The winner between Texas and Xavier will take on Illinois on Friday at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum. Both were considered bubble teams leading up to Selection Sunday.
Xavier finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak but had an early exit from the Big East Tournament. The Musketeers are led by second-team All-Big East forward Zach Freemantle, who averaged 17.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Texas endured more losses than any other at-large selection in the tournament but is part of an SEC Conference that sent a record 14 teams to Big Dance. The rugged schedule as well as a NET rating of 39 helped the Longhorns overcome a 6-12 conference record.
Texas forward Tre Johnson was selected freshman of the year in the SEC and second All-Conference. Johnson led the SEC in scoring, averaging 19.8 points per game.
Houston earned the top seed in the Midwest Region, with Tennessee earning the No. 2 seed. Illinois’ Big Ten rival Purdue got the No. 4 seed in the region, and will face High Point on Thursday.
